POWERGRID Engineer Trainee 2026 Recruitment Through GATE 2026 Scores

POWERGRID Engineer Trainee 2026 hiring is based on GATE 2026 marks. The online form runs from 3 November 2026 (5 PM) to 18 November 2026 (11:59 PM). Notice No. 2 of 3 November 2026 lists 319 posts: 250 in Electrical, 48 in Civil and 21 in Computer Science. To apply, you need a qualifying score in the matching GATE 2026 paper and a full-time engineering degree with at least 60% marks. The upper age limit is 28 years on 31 December 2025.

POWERGRID Engineer Trainee 2026 vacancies by GATE paper

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID) is a Maharatna public sector company under the Ministry of Power. Its job covers planning and control of the complete inter-state transmission system. The advertisement says its network carries about 50% of the power generated in the country. This drive fills Engineer Trainee posts, which are entry-level executive jobs for fresh engineers.

The table below is copied from page 1 of Notice No. 2. A star (*) marks a backlog vacancy, which is an unfilled seat carried forward from an earlier year.

Seats for persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) are horizontal. That means they sit inside the category counts above, not on top of them. For Civil, the notice keeps 2 interchangeable seats, to be filled first by hearing-impaired (1) and intellectual disability (1) candidates. Computer Science has no PwBD row.

The Electrical PwBD rows are not clear. One row shows 10 interchangeable seats, to be filled first by 3 locomotor, 4 hearing-impaired and 3 intellectual disability candidates. Below it are three more rows of 4 seats each for the same three groups. The notice does not say how these rows fit together. If you are a PwBD candidate for Electrical, ask POWERGRID before you rely on a seat count.

POWERGRID says it may change the number of vacancies if the need arises.

No Electronics posts in Notice 2, though the 2025 advertisement named them

The September 2025 advertisement said the drive would be “tentatively” for four disciplines: Electrical, Electronics, Civil and Computer Science. It matched Electronics to the GATE EC paper. Notice No. 2 covers only Electrical, Civil and Computer Science. It has no Electronics row and no Electronics post ID.

If you took GATE 2026 in EC, this notice gives you no post to apply for.

Under Notice No. 2, a degree in a discipline not listed in the advertisement makes you ineligible. POWERGRID keeps the right to take a final call on an engineering discipline that is worded differently. The advertisement adds that POWERGRID may use GATE 2026 scores to fill other posts in its subsidiaries.

Degree branches POWERGRID accepts for each Engineer Trainee post

You need a full-time B.E., B.Tech or B.Sc (Engg.) from a recognised university or institute. The branch must match the post:

• Electrical: Electrical, Electrical (Power), Electrical and Electronics, Power Systems Engineering, or Power Engineering (Electrical).
• Civil: Civil Engineering.
• Computer Science: Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Information Technology.

The minimum is 60% marks or an equivalent CGPA. The advertisement says SC, ST and PwBD candidates need only pass marks for posts reserved for their category, as per the vacancy notice. Notice No. 2 does not repeat this rule.

Your university’s own rule decides how CGPA turns into a percentage. If your university has no such rule, POWERGRID divides your CGPA by the maximum CGPA and multiplies by 100. So a 6.5 out of 10 counts as 65%.

GATE 2026 score rules for the POWERGRID form

You must have appeared in the matching GATE 2026 paper and qualified in it. The qualifying marks are the ones set by the body that held GATE 2026.

• Electrical posts need the EE paper.
• Civil posts need the CE paper.
• Computer Science posts need the CS paper.

Only the GATE 2026 score counts, as normalised marks out of 100. A GATE 2025 or older score is not valid for this drive.

The form asks for your GATE 2026 Registration Number and GATE Application Number exactly as they appear on your GATE 2026 admit card. You cannot change these numbers after you submit. Keep your GATE 2026 admit card and score card safe, because POWERGRID checks your identity with them at the group discussion and interview.

28 is the upper age (31 Dec 2025), 14 August the final-year cut-off

The upper age limit is 28 years as on 31 December 2025. You must also be an Indian national aged 18 or above. Reserved-category candidates get extra years for posts reserved for their category:

Final-year students could apply only if they expected their final results by 14 August 2026. They also needed at least 60% (or equal CGPA) in the aggregate of all semesters up to the pre-final exam. If selected, they must show at least 60% in the final result. The 14 August date has passed, and Notice No. 2 does not change it. If your final result came out after 14 August 2026, confirm with POWERGRID before you apply.

POWERGRID treats the date on your final mark sheet as the date you got your degree.

Who pays POWERGRID’s Rs 500 fee: the papers differ on ex-servicemen

The fee is Rs 500, paid online through the payment gateway on the POWERGRID portal. It is non-refundable. Your application counts as complete only after the fee is paid, if you have to pay one. Draft forms and unpaid forms are rejected. You do not post any paper copy.

The two documents list the exempt groups a little differently:

• Notice No. 2 (page 3) asks every candidate other than SC, ST, PwBD and departmental candidates to pay Rs 500.
• The September 2025 advertisement (pages 4 and 7) exempts SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen candidates, and on page 7 also departmental candidates.

If you are an ex-serviceman, check with POWERGRID at recruitment@powergrid.in before you pay or skip the fee. Put “Engineer Trainee-2026” in the subject line, as the advertisement asks.

GATE 85%, GD 3%, interview 12%: POWERGRID’s merit formula

The advertisement names three parts of selection: GATE 2026 marks, a group discussion and a personal interview.

1. Shortlisting: POWERGRID shortlists candidates category-wise for group discussion and interview, using normalised GATE 2026 marks out of 100.
2. Group discussion (GD): a discussion among shortlisted candidates. It has no qualifying mark.
3. Personal interview: you must score at least 40% (UR and EWS) or 30% (OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwBD, for posts reserved for them).

The final score uses these weights: GATE marks 85%, GD 3% and interview 12%. Your GATE score therefore carries most of the weight. Shortlisted candidates may also have to take a psychometric assessment. The notice does not describe it; its result is used as an input in the interview. You can take the GD and interview in Hindi or English.

If two candidates end with equal marks, the older one is placed first. Selected candidates are told through their login on the POWERGRID portal. They must also pass a pre-employment medical test, and POWERGRID allows no relaxation in its medical norms. The notice gives no date for the GD or interview.

Rs 40,000 basic in training, then the E2 scale and Rs 22.5 lakh CTC

Training lasts one year. During it, you are placed in the pay scale of Rs 40,000-3%-1,40,000 (IDA). IDA means industrial dearness allowance, the DA pattern used in many central public sector companies. You get basic pay of Rs 40,000 plus IDA, HRA (house rent allowance) and perks at 12% of basic pay.

POWERGRID gives these approximate CTC (cost to company) figures per year:

CTC is the total yearly cost of an employee to the company, not take-home pay. POWERGRID does not list what its CTC figure includes. It says the CTC varies with the place of posting and other terms of appointment. It does not publish a take-home figure, so we have not estimated one.

The Rs 5 lakh service bond and all-India posting

Every selected candidate signs a service agreement bond. You agree to finish the training and then serve POWERGRID for at least three years. The bond amount is:

• Rs 5,00,000 for General, OBC (NCL) and EWS candidates;
• Rs 2,50,000 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates.

Postings can be anywhere in India or abroad. They include substations, transmission line offices, construction sites, subsidiaries and joint ventures. The advertisement says most vacancies are at on-site locations.

Page 7 of the advertisement says that graduates who plan higher studies on their GATE 2026 score, or who would need extra time to join, need not apply.

The same POWERGRID page also lists Engineer Trainee 2027 through GATE 2027 (Advt CC/03/2026 dated 24.09.2026). That is a separate, later drive. It needs a GATE 2027 score and is not covered on this page.

OBC, EWS and PwBD certificate formats POWERGRID asks for

• SC / ST: a caste certificate in the central government format for “Appointment to posts under Govt. of India”.
• OBC (NCL): a certificate based on income for 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, issued on or after 1 April 2025, in the central government format. At the interview you also give a written self-undertaking that you are non-creamy layer.
• EWS: an Income and Asset Certificate for 2024-25, issued on or after 1 April 2025. It must name your caste; “General” or “Samanya” is not enough.
• PwBD: a certificate from a government medical board for at least 40% permanent disability, plus a UDID card or certificate.
• Government or PSU staff: a No Objection Certificate at the interview.
• Language: a certified Hindi or English translation of any category certificate issued in another language.

These certificate dates come from the September 2025 advertisement, and Notice No. 2 does not change them. If your certificate was issued later, for a later year, ask POWERGRID whether it is accepted. Your OBC (NCL) or EWS status must hold on 18 November 2026, the last date of the form. Declare your category correctly, because POWERGRID can ask for the original certificate at any stage.

POWERGRID careers portal steps, form open until 18 November 2026

1. Open the POWERGRID job opportunities page and use its “Register/Login and Apply” link for the Engineer Trainee 2026 item. It leads to the POWERGRID careers login.
2. Register with your GATE 2026 Registration Number and GATE Application Number, copied from your GATE admit card.
3. Enter your name and date of birth as they appear on your Class 10 (matric) certificate. Enter your name and other details exactly as on your GATE admit card.
4. Upload a recent colour passport-size photo (JPG, up to 50 KB) and your signature (JPG, up to 30 KB).
5. Upload PDFs of your date-of-birth proof, category or disability certificate, age relaxation cum domicile certificate (if any), and your qualification final passing certificate. Final-year candidates upload their last semester or year mark sheet.
6. Submit the form and note the POWERGRID Registration Number that the system gives you. Then log in to your candidate account and pay the Rs 500 fee online, if it applies to you. Your application is complete only after the fee is paid.
7. Print the completed form and keep it.

You can edit a submitted form until 18 November 2026. But POWERGRID will not change your GATE numbers, name or other details after submission. Fill the e-mail fields with care, because POWERGRID sends its messages by e-mail.

At the GD and interview you must carry your GATE 2026 admit card, your original GATE 2026 score card and an original photo ID. Photocopies are not accepted.

PSU and engineering openings beside POWERGRID ET 2026

For more openings, see the list of public sector company jobs, all All India government jobs, and government jobs for graduates. Computer Science and IT graduates with work experience may also look at the IBPS Programming Assistant and Server Administrator posts. Electrical diploma holders from Uttar Pradesh can compare the UPSSSC Junior Engineer Electrical posts.

GATE paper, age and category papers: last look before 18 November

1. Check that your GATE 2026 paper matches the post: EE for Electrical, CE for Civil, CS for Computer Science.
2. Check your age against the 28-year limit on 31 December 2025, with your category relaxation.
3. Get your OBC (NCL) or EWS certificate in the right format and date before you fill the form.

✍️ Published byLokesh Rathore

Lokesh Rathore is a content writer with over 4 years of experience covering Government Jobs, Sarkari Result, Admit Card and Sarkari Yojana. He turns complex official notifications into clear, accurate and easy-to-follow updates for job seekers across India - with every post cross-checked against official government sources.

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